Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Ra Ra Ri, Kick em' in the Knee - Ri Ra Irish Pub

Ri Ra, while on my radar, wasn't exactly a point of interest. I associated it with Ra Sushi (same building) and thought it would be more about the crowd/image and less about the food. But thankfully, my mom had hit it up and let me know that their Fish and Chips offering was far superior than most other renditions that Atlanta bars and restaurants attempt. So Kins and I put it to the test and were pleasantly surprised.

Ri Ra is a chain (of only about 11) but really puts out some high quality bar fare. They restore old Irish bars and accouterments and ship them over here to be reassembled in their American locations. That part is pretty neat and it's pretty hard to tell the difference between what's new and old in the bar. Interestingly enough, they also have shipped over quite a few Irish workers/servers and on both of my visits, we had one. The crowd was more Buckheady, but tolerable. I would probably avoid it on a weekend night, however.The fish and chips are really terrific. It's the perfect blend of salty and crunchy. On our first visit, one order came with two whopping Haddock (much prefer this to the more common Cod) fillets. The fish was served over a bed of their house chips, which are fresh cut and fried. Also included was a homemade roumelade. I liked every part of the meal and for the $14 ($2 up-charge for the house chips) price tag, it's a very generous serving. Most people could get two meals out of it. Unfortunately on our second visit, the order had been reduced to one fillet of Haddock. I believe they still will typically give two, but we will have to go back to make sure of this.

I also had the Ri Ra Burger and it was mediocre at best. It wasn't consistently cooked through, the peppercorn seasoning really didn't do much, and the bun was entirely too big and tough to chew through. Also on our first trip, we offered complementary soda bread with Guinness-infused butter. It was a nice touch. We weren't as luck on our second go-round and they completely forgot this little freebie.

From now on, when I hear or think of fish and chips, Ri Ra is my choice. Even if the price was slightly higher (take note $18 cod F&C from Shed at Glenwood), it would be worth it.

haha...maybe because you mentioned Ra Sushi at the beginning of the post? Or maybe because the dude is just random?

I had never really been motivated to check out Ri Ra, mostly because it just sounded like another Fado's to me (see: chain "irish bar" that was more trend than substance). Perhaps I will give them a shot now.

About Me

No degree from Le Cordon Bleu. No 25 years experience in Restaurant consulting. That's right: No formal qualification in food. Unless of course you consider that I like to eat and I do very often. Those are my credentials.
I've grown up in Atlanta and find it to be a great selection of some tasty, but sometimes hidden, vittles.
Additionally, I enjoy cooking and want to share my experiences in my home's kitchen with the reader.